technology

Universal Robots has launched in India amid much fanfare and high-powered diplomacy. The Danish Ambassador to India, Peter Taksøe-Jensen, did the honours by officially launching Universal Robots during a ceremony at the Le Meridian, New Delhi.

Universal, a Danish company which was bought by US industrial giant Teradyne last year, considers itself a pioneer in collaborative robots, and its new product range was unveiled at the India launch event by Esben Østergaard, Universal’s chief technology officer, along with Pradeep David, the company’s general manager, India.

When you think of the technology at docks and ports, the first things that may spring to mind are the giant cranes that pick containers off the ships and place them somewhere on the dock.

These “gantry cranes” as they’re called stand taller than the ships at several tens of metres high and have lifting capacities of several tens of tons. But they’re all manually operated – just like the cranes you might see on construction sites.

One of the many perks of being the boss of a reasonably sized company is having your own personal assistant, someone who you can dictate letters to, someone who keeps your diary updated, answers your phones and helps you organise your time so you are as efficient and as productive as you can be at work.

A good PA is often very highly paid, commensurate with the company and business sector he or she works for, and their image as super-fast typists and excellent organisers is one that is often celebrated and acknowledged.

Carnegie Mellon demonstrated how autonomous aerial and ground vehicles can work togetherRobotics and automation experts at one of the world’s leading universities have demonstrated autonomous ground vehicles and aircraft with “new collaborative capabilities for keeping warfighters safe”.

Autonomous cars have already taken over the world and are on the verge of making their final, decisive manoeuvre to eject humanity out of the driving seat. The machines have achieved their domination by using the humble and unsuspecting traditional car as their primary instrument of deception.

That’s according to David Sloan, Chicago Auto Show general manager, although he may not have put it in those exact words. Speaking to Chicago Sun-Times, Sloan says: “People might be surprised to know that most of the technology that will be used to make car autonomous in the future is already in cars today on our show floor.”

Autonomous vehicles networking infrastructure will require new skills and training

In the less than distant future, your car may drive itself, but the infrastructure that communicates with your vehicle will require a staff of highly trained technicians.

The supply of talented technicians able to maintain and support the technology required for the autonomous transportation network will be critical for society to take advantage of the numerous safety, social, and economic benefits of this incredible technology.